The Christmas They Remembered
by Scoobyfan1
Summary: Set following the New Scooby Doo Mysteries episode "A Nutcracker Scoob". When Fred wants to rekindle his relationship with Daphne, will she accept his offer, or will history repeat itself? Pairings: some Fred/Daphne, slight Daphne/Shaggy.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Notes: Scooby Doo and all related characters and trademarks are copyright 2012 Hanna Barbera Productions/Cartoon Network/Warner Brothers/Boomerang. I am not, nor do I ever plan on making any money off writing this story, I am but merely a humble fan.**

**In addition, this story is set following the New Scooby Doo Mysteries episode "A Nutcracker Scoob", and includes some references to that particular episode. **

**So if you are reading this story and are unsure of what's going on, I would suggest rewatching that episode as a primer for this story(of course that's your choice and you don't have to if you don't want to, but it is suggested if you want to follow along with this fan fic).**

Chapter 1

The December snow fell softly and silently outside a large, old fashioned building somewhere in the Northeastern United States.

This particular building was quite special however, despite its age, and outward appearance. The building dated back to the late 1800s, and featured beautiful glass windows, as well as a solid brick façade, which indicated that the structure would more then likely stand for hundreds of years to come, as it had already.

But the outside of the building wasn't as important, or quite as important as the inside of the building, and what purpose it served. The particular function this structure served was that it contained something that was very important to the community, something that if was closed, would create sadness and woe among a large number of people.

This particular building served as a home for orphan, runaway and forgotten children, which was more then a worthwhile cause to all who worked there.

But there was one man who didn't think so, a man named Winslow Nickelby. Winslow Nickelby was an elderly man who lived in a large mansion, specifically a few miles away from the aforementioned children's home.

Mr. Nickelby was a wealthy man, hence the fact that he resided in an expensive and ancient mansion. However, Mr. Nickleby despite his wealth and extravagant home, was not as happy as you might expect someone in his position to be.

Because of his personality, and because of his age, he was looked upon as a miser by many, similar to Ebenezer Scrooge in Charles Dickens famous novel _A Christmas Carol_.

Mr. Nickelby, like Mr. Ebenezer Scrooge not only was a miser, and was looked upon by all who knew him as rather eccentric, and mean. In addition to his personality, there was something else Mr. Nickelby shared with Mr. Scrooge, something that really made him sort of a crotchety old man as it were.

Mr. Nickelby, like Mr. Scrooge hated Christmas with an absolute passion. But while Ebenezer Scrooge was shown the light, and the goodness and joy that Christmas could bring by three spirits, Mr. Nickelby could thank a group of children, and some young adults and dogs for his change of heart.

Earlier in the month, these young adults, and their two canines volunteered at the children's home, and in the process helped out with a Christmas play, made some new friends, and even solved a ghostly mystery in the process.

For you see the young adults that assisted at the home were five of the members of the detective agency known unofficially as the Scooby Doo detective agency, and sometimes Mystery Incorporated.

Specifically speaking the members of the group that helped out during the month of Christmas were a blond haired youngster named Fred Jones, a beautiful red head named Daphne Blake, a chicken hearted, but kind young man named Shaggy Rogers, and two canines named Scooby Doo and Scrappy Doo.

These young adults and their canines while helping out with a Yuletide pageant stumbled upon a mystery involving a ghost, a missing emerald, and one elderly miser named Winslow Nickelby.

At first the members of the detective agency thought Winslow Nickelby might be involved with said ghost, because he wanted to tear down the children's home and search for the emerald.

However, after some investigating and a confrontation and chase during the Christmas pageant, Mystery Incorporated unmasked the holiday specter. As it turns out, the ghost in question was really Mr. Nickelby's maid, a woman named Nanette Musette, who wanted the emerald for her own selfish reasons.

Now with the ghostly mystery solved, and Winslow Nickelby surprisingly turning over a new leaf, and actually helping out with the children's home every so often, things could return to normal around the home.

But even though things returned to normal around the home, there was still a story to be told. Perhaps the story was more interesting then the one involving the ghost, the missing emerald, and the miser, and perhaps it was not.

However, this story went much deeper then a mere mystery, and it involved much more then a simple group of young adults and their two canines. It involved romance, it involved love, and most important of all: it involved a life long friendship, which was about to be put to the test.

**Author's Notes: I wasn't sure if I wanted to make this a one chapter fan fic, but after some thought, I decided to make this multiple chapters, in order to get more in depth into the story.**

**Also, I know the first chapter seems kind of boring, considering it just describes the actual mystery from the episode this story is based on. However, I promise the fic will get much better and much more interesting in chapter 2(which will come as soon as I write it **


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Fred Jones was a young man who had a very interesting life, and was someone who, despite the tough façade, was soft as the December snow inside.

He had plenty of friends throughout high school and into college, specifically speaking, the members of Mystery Incorporated. His childhood had been an unusual one as well, as up until the age of 13 or so, he had a subscription to a newspaper called the _National Exaggerator_ which specialized in reporting tabloid like stories, almost similar to what the_ Weekly World News_ was like, even if some of the things in the publication weren't quite true.

At the age of 14, Fred Jones interests changed from mole men and Martians, to sports and other things. When he started high school, his father pushed him to go into athletics, which included football and baseball among them; as you might expect, Fred's build and stamina made him an excellent quarterback for his high school's football team, and a star pitcher on the baseball team.

The blond young man not only became interested in sports, but he also became interested once again in the supernatural. However, this time he became interested in solving and finding mysteries, a passion which he could now enjoy with his new found friends, the members of Mystery Incorporated.

Mystery Incorporated was a detective agency Fred and his friends had founded years earlier, only under another name. The group of detectives had been quite successful over the years, and were always eager to solve a new case, or help someone in trouble or distress.

However, despite Fred's eagerness to solve a mystery, there was a subject in his life that was tough to bring up around him, mainly the subject of love.

Sure, his parents were wonderful people, and had raised him the way any parents would raise a successful young man. As the years went by though, he was becoming aware that members of the opposite gender were becoming attracted to him, because of his good looks, and his success in athletics.

But Fred decided to look up his nose at most of those girls, not because of the fact that he wasn't attracted to them, but it was because there was one girl in particular he wanted for his very own.

Her name was Daphne Blake, and she had long, fiery red hair, and wore a purple dress with a green scarf, along with purple leggings and purple shoes. A purple hair band crowned the red headed beauty like a Miss America pageant winner, as to Fred it always seemed like her hair band was like a tiara that made him smile every time she wore it.

While she was probably one of the most beautiful girls in school, and one of, if not the richest, everyone the pair knew always figured they would end up together. In fact, they did end up together for most of high school; however, by the time college came around, the two of them decided to go their separate ways.

This disappointed Fred at first, but he knew it was coming, and he knew Daphne wanted to go out on her own, just like the blond always did. Daphne ended up studying journalism, as she wanted to be a reporter, or at the very least a writer for a magazine.

Fred meanwhile decided to study criminology and dabbled as a mystery writer for his time in college, and afterwards as well. Eventually, Fred and Daphne's paths would cross one another again, as he and one of the other members of the detective agency, a young woman named Velma Dinkley returned for the group's Great Dane's birthday.

After he was framed for the robbery of a diamond by a criminal known as the Red Skull, who was unmasked and turned out to be someone the detectives had captured previously, things settled down slightly for Fred.

Later, he and Velma returned to celebrate Halloween with their friends, and again to help Velma's uncle investigate an ancient temple in South America. Eventually, Velma returned to her job at NASA as an apprentice research scientist, and Fred would return to his career as a writer and his single life.

That is until Daphne called him one day to see if he could help out with a Christmas Pageant she, Scooby Doo, Scrappy Doo and Shaggy were assisting with at a children's home.

Naturally Fred jumped at the chance to be with Daphne again, and helping out kids was something that he was very excited about as well. Of course, the pair and their friends found themselves in a mystery as what had happened many times before when the two of them were together in high school.

Once the mystery was solved, and there was some time for the gang to reflect on the season, the blond young adult decided to do something he should have done a long time ago, but never got the chance to.

As he stood inside the front room of the children's home after assisting with some baking, and making sure Shaggy and Scooby didn't eat everything in sight, he decided he wanted to spend some time with a certain red head.

So, he put on his dark blue heavy jacket and his dark blue wool cap and decided to step outside, in order to view the snow covered ground and trees, which dominated the December landscape.

But as he stepped outside he was slightly surprised to see a certain purple clad young woman standing in the snow, and watching the surroundings and the beauty that nature provided.

The blond then walked up next to the attractive red head and decided to strike up a conversation with her, figuring she might want to talk, just as he wanted to.

"How long have you been out here?" Fred asked, watching the snow falling lightly as it collected on top of the several feet of snow that had already fallen.

"Only a little while, how about you?" Daphne inquired back.

"I just came out here a minute ago. I was helping bake gingerbread men with Shaggy, Scooby and Scrappy, and sneaking a bite once in a while." Fred replied.

"I'm just glad Shaggy and the dogs didn't eat all the cookies for Santa Claus. After all, you don't want to make him angry, especially if there's something you want for Christmas." Daphne remarked, chuckling a little as she spoke.

"Well, I did sneak a few nibbles of Gingerbread, but Shaggy, Scooby and Scrappy didn't mind, or tell." Fred responded, snickering a bit.

"Hey, I won't tell if you won't." Daphne replied.

"Oh, don't worry, I won't." Fred remarked.

"That reminds me, what did you think of the Christmas pageant? Well, despite the fact that we had a mystery, and that you were dressed as a nutcracker soldier." Daphne asked.

"I liked it, and I enjoyed dressing as a nutcracker. By the way, you looked great as an angel." Fred responded, before turning to face the red head and gently taking her by the hands.

"Thanks, you looked very handsome as a soldier." Daphne replied, smiling a bit as she spoke, which caused her companion to blush slightly.

"You're very sweet Daph, and that was very kind of you to say. I, kind of feel the same way." Fred responded.

"I bet you do." Daphne replied, still smiling as the two young adults stood together in the snow.

The red head and the blond then stood in the majestic winter surroundings for a few minutes, each one of them savoring the moments the pair were sharing. After all, Fred was going to return to his career eventually, as would Daphne, so the two of them wouldn't get to spend much more time together.

Because that was the case, Fred Jones figured now was a good as time as ever to share his true feelings with Daphne. Just in case the two of their paths would never cross again, and each of them were miles and miles apart.

So Fred smiled, continued holding the red head's hands, took a deep breath and began speaking.

"Daphne" the blond remarked, looking deep into the red head's eyes.

"Yes?" the wealthy red head asked.

"I know it's Christmas and all, so I guess this is as good a time as ever to say what I'm about to say." Fred replied.

"Oh? What would you like to say?" Daphne inquired.

"Well, what I would like to say is very important, and it means a lot to me, so here goes: Daphne, I want to tell you that ever since we parted, and since we went our separate ways, I've thought about you all the time." Fred responded.

"You have? Fred, I'm very flattered, and I've thought the same about you as well." Daphne replied.

"I'm glad you have Daph. But that's not all: ever since we both graduated from high school, I've wanted to tell you that I, well that I…" Fred responded, albeit sounding a bit flustered as he spoke.

"Yes Freddie?" Daphne asked, with what seemed to be a hopeful look in her eyes.

"Ever since we graduated I've been wanting to tell you that I still feel the same way I did back then. I still have great respect for you, and I…. well, I still love you, just the same as I did in high school." Fred replied, waiting for Daphne's response.

At first, the red head wasn't quite sure what to make of what Fred had told her. Sure, she and he were sweethearts in high school, and sure the two of them were for all intensive purposes, the all-American couple; but as the blond looked deep into her eyes, it seemed like something wasn't quite right.

"Daphne?" Fred inquired.

"Yes?" the red head responded, with a questioned look on her face.

"You heard what I said right?" Fred asked, scratching the back of his head as he spoke.

"Of course I did Freddie, it's just that…" Daphne replied, before thinking about what she wanted to say.

"Just what?" Fred asked.

The attractive red head sighed for a moment, before revealing what she wanted to say to her companion, which didn't look to be very promising if the look on her face was any indication.

"It's just that, well I know you still have feelings for me, and I have feelings still for you, and that's great. But to tell the truth, I've been moving on in the world, and that includes dating other people." Daphne explained, which confused the blond, at least at first.

"I can understand that, I've been doing my own thing for a long time now too. And I've been dating others as well." Fred replied.

"I can see that. You're a sweet guy, and a great friend, but I have to say that there's something else I wanted to tell you." Daphne responded.

"Like what?" Fred asked.

"Well, I've been seeing someone in the gang actually. For a while now, Shaggy and I have been dating each other." Daphne replied.

After hearing what the red head had told him about her love life, Fred looked as if his heart had been broken clean in half.

It wasn't that she was dating someone else that seemed to bother him, it was that she was dating Shaggy of all people. Shaggy, who was always a bit of a chicken, and who seemed to eat as much as possible, whenever possible.

When hearing she was dating Shaggy Rogers, Fred had so many questions on his mind, one of which he wanted answered, somewhat immediately.

"I-I still don't understand, why Shaggy?" the unofficial leader of Mystery Inc. inquired.

"Why Shaggy? Fred, no offense, but when you left to go out on your own, there was a hole in my life that I wanted to fill. When I decided to start writing for the magazine I wrote for, Shaggy was there for me; he, Scooby and Scrappy offered to come with me on my reporting assignments." Daphne replied.

"Well, he's a nice guy, and a good friend. Actually, he's got a great spirit, and a fantastic sense of humor; I mean I don't know how many times he's cheered me up when I'm down." Fred responded.

"That's very nice of you to say Freddie. And there's more about him that made me want to hang out with him: he's a wonderful cook, and a great artist, and he's got the spirit of a poet in him. Those are the things that made me want to date him, and why I'm still dating him." Daphne replied.

At the moment, Fred wasn't quite sure what to think. He wasn't too sure what he was going to do after Daphne told him that she was dating Norville Rogers; Fred might have been the type of guy who would go after Shaggy because she was dating someone who once was Fred's girlfriend, or at least that's what most people would think.

As he stood talking to Daphne, Fred Jones was surprisingly calm, and cool. He wasn't angry, and he wasn't upset that she was dating Shaggy at all; in fact, the look on his face seemed to be… it seemed to be one of acceptance, as it appeared that he was perfectly fine with Daphne dating Shaggy.

"Daphne?" the blond asked.

"Yes Freddie?" Daphne responded.

"I know Shaggy means a lot to you, and that he was a good friend for helping you out and solving mysteries with you when I was in college. I have to say that's very admirable, and something I would like to thank him for." Fred replied.

"You would?" Daphne asked.

"Sure I would. Shaggy's… well, Shaggy's been trying to find someone for a long time, and in my opinion, if you choose to date him, and if he makes you happy, then I can't stop you from seeing him, or talking to him, or dating him as the case may be." Fred replied.

"Oh Freddie, that's so incredibly sweet of you!" Daphne responded, as she hugged the blond as tight as she could, although she made doubly sure that he could breathe while she hugged him.

"Thanks Daph, I figured you would react that way." Fred replied.

"One question though Fred." Daphne responded.

"Sure Daph, what is it?" Fred asked.

"Well, I was just wondering, why all of a sudden did you mention still having feelings for me?" Daphne inquired.

"It's kind of complicated, but I guess I could tell you. You see, I was hoping that you still had feelings for me because, well I wanted to see if we could get back together, maybe I could tag along on whatever things you have in store, or mysteries or assignments, that kind of stuff." Fred replied, with a look of hope on his face.

"Freddie, that's very sweet of you to offer, but…" Daphne responded, although her face was lowered a little bit, as she wasn't sure if she wanted to face her companion and what she had in mind to say to him.

"Daphne, you don't have to keep secrets, you know that. Just tell me what you're thinking…" Fred remarked, before leaning over and kissing the redhead on the cheek.

"All right, I will. Freddie, I would love to get back together with you, and I would love to date you again. However, I think at this time of my life, I want to make a fresh start, and Shaggy's just the person who can help me with that; no offense Freddie." Daphne replied, smiling and holding her cheek as she spoke.

"None taken. But why can't you make a fresh start with me, why can't I come with you and Scooby and Shaggy and Scrappy?" Fred inquired.

"Freddie, you're a cool guy, and one of the nicest people I've ever met. It's true that I still have feelings for you, but I don't know if us rekindling our romance would ever work." Daphne replied.

"Well whatever it takes, we can make it work, I promise." Fred said, taking hold of Daphne's hands again as he spoke.

The red head frowned slightly as she removed her hands from the blond's firm, but friendly grasp. Fred was trying to be polite in his speech as much as possible, but to Daphne it just wasn't working, and it was time for her to tell him so.

"Freddie, I know you want to get back together, and I know you still love me. But I want some time to think, and experiment with my writing; I want to go out and see the world, I want to date other people, like Shaggy. And most important, I want to pursue my career." The attractive red head explained to a still confused Fred Jones.

No matter what she said, the blond young adult just couldn't allow his companion to leave without getting back together. Unfortunately for Daphne Blake, it just wasn't in the cards that she and her high school boyfriend would return to the same romantic relationship they had back then, at least for now.

"Daphne, while I still love you, and I still care deeply about you, I've realized that… that I guess I can't stop you from doing what you want to do. So if you would like to see the world, and become a famous writer, I-I won't stop you from doing it." Fred said, albeit reluctantly.

"Fred, this isn't the end of the world you know. We can still be friends, and you can take time off from writing to come visit me anytime you want, you know that. You can even help out with a mystery once in a while; in fact, I would love it. But just don't act like because I'm dating Shaggy that our friendship is over." Daphne replied.

"I-I know Daph, I know. I just want you to be happy, and I want you to have fun; just do me one favor: don't forget that I still care about you, and that I still love you, no matter what." Fred responded, before once again giving Daphne a quick peck on the cheek.

"I will Freddie, I will." Daphne replied.

The red head and the blond continued talking with one another for a little while longer, before the conversation switched to the pair's careers. This was what the two of them were talking about, as they walked back into the children's home and as the two of them began looking for their friends once more.

"So, how many books have you written so far?" the red head asked.

"A couple, they're in the process of getting published last time I checked. How about you: any articles in the works?" Fred inquired.

"Oh, just the usual. Actually I've been swamped in the past couple months, I'm just glad I found time to celebrate Halloween, Scooby's birthday and Christmas with you guys." Daphne replied.

"Man, that must be tough." Fred responded.

"Sure is. Actually I'm planning on taking a nice vacation in a couple months: me, Scooby, Shaggy and Scrappy are all traveling to Hawaii in my parents' private plane." Daphne replied.

"Sounds nice, although I had no idea you guys had your own plane." Fred responded, sounding a bit surprised.

"Actually, the plane technically is owned by me now. My parents gave it to me for a birthday present a couple years back; I was thinking of calling it The Mystery Flying Machine, what do you think?" Daphne asked.

"Great name, and I hope you guys have fun on your trip." Fred replied.

"Don't worry, we will." Daphne said, hugging the blond again as she spoke.

"Make sure and send me a postcard huh?" Fred asked.

"You got it Freddie, you got it." Daphne replied.

Fred Jones and Daphne Blake eventually found the rest of the gang, and eventually Daphne and Fred parted ways once again.

Daphne would join Shaggy, Scooby and Scrappy on a few more mysteries, before departing on their vacation to Hawaii, but that's another story for another time altogether.

Fred meanwhile would return to his writing career, and eventually Mystery Inc. would get back together, and solve more mysteries. Would Daphne and Fred continue their relationship from lo those many years ago however? The answer to that is only time will tell.

But for Frederick Jones and Daphne Blake no matter how long they both live, they both will always remember that Yuletide season. When the two of them chatted about their lives, and their relationship; because of that and the mystery at the children's home, for these two young adults that particular December will always be a Christmas to remember.

Author's Notes: I know this story seems kind of short, but I still hope you guys like it as much as my other stories.

Also, I decided to add a few things from the Scrappy era of Scooby Doo, including Shaggy and Daphne dating(which wasn't really mentioned on the series) and The Mystery Flying Machine, as well as the reference to the gang's trip to Hawaii(which is how the 13 Ghosts of Scooby Doo series began).

Don't forget to keep watching my account, because I have other stories that I'm going to write, and that will be uploaded at Fan eventually. Thanks for reviewing and reading and all that other stuff as usual.

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